In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae speaks to the University of Melbourne’s Dr Ken Setiawan about her recent trip to Buru Island, where her father was held as a political prisoner from 1971 to 1978.

Several hundred Indonesian Muslims have left the country to fight in Syria and Iraq. In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae speaks to Dr Muhamad Najib Azca, from Gadjah Mada University, about the issue, and what the government can do to manage the risks posed by their return.

How does the foreign policy of Indonesia’s new president, Joko Widodo, differ to that of his predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono? Dr Dave McRae explores this issue, among others, with Dr Evi Fitriani, from the University of Indonesia, in the second instalment of Talking Indonesia.

Is generational change taking place within Indonesia’s political parties? Dr Dave McRae explores this issue and more with Philips Vermonte, from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, in the first episode of the new Talking Indonesia podcast.

Indonesia can easily dismiss Australia’s objections to the death penalty when it just involves Australians. But Jokowi’s policies have opened the window for a more powerful multinational response, write Dr Dave McRae and Diane Zhang.

Many influential Indonesians perceive Australia as arrogant. Overcoming this is an immediate challenge, and reminds us much depends on how Australia handles bilateral relations under a new president, saysDave McRae. Image: Getty